Clematis Plant Named &#39;Evipo054&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new  Clematis  plant with a compact growth habit, profuse, violet flowers, and continuous summer flowering. The variety successfully propagates from softwood cuttings and is suitable for cultivation in commercial nursery culture. This new and distinct variety has shown to be uniform and stable in the resulting generations from asexual propagation from vegetative cuttings.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION

Genus: Clematis

Species: viticella

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘Evipo054’

SUMMARY OF THE CLAIMED PLANT

The present invention constitutes a new and distinct variety of Clematisplant which originated from a controlled crossing between the femaleseed parent, an unnamed seedling, and the male pollen parent, anun-named seedling

The two parents were crossed during the summer of 2003 and the resultingseeds were planted the following winter in a controlled environment inGuernsey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom. The new variety named‘Evipo054’ originated as a single seedling from the stated cross.

The new clematis plant may be distinguished from its female seed parentand male pollen parent by the following characteristics. The seed parenthas light pink flowers while the claimed plant has violet flowers. Thepollen parent has white anthers while the new variety has purpleanthers.

The objective of the hybridization of this clematis plant was to createa new and distinct variety for nursery culture with unique qualitiessuch as:

1. Uniform and abundant violet flowers;

2. Vigorous and compact growth, making the variety suitable forcontainer culture; and

3. Improved disease resistance.

This combination of qualities was lacking in clematis plants that werein commercial cultivation and the qualities have been substantiallyachieved in the new variety.

‘Evipo054’ was selected by Mogens N. Olesen and Raymond J. Evison intheir clematis development program in the Channel Islands, UnitedKingdom in 2004. Asexual reproduction of ‘Evipo054’ by means ofvegetative cuttings and traditional layering was first performed byMogens N. Olesen and Raymond J. Evison in the nursery during the summerof 2004. This initial and subsequent asexual propagations havedemonstrated that the characteristics of ‘Evipo054’ are true to type andare transmitted from one generation to the next.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying color illustrations show as true as is reasonablypossible to obtain in color photographs of this type the typicalcharacteristics of the buds, flowers, leaves, and stems, of ‘Evipo054’.Specifically illustrated in FIG. 1 are flower buds appearing on aflowering branch, open flowers on the branch, tepals detached, detachedreproductive flower parts, and a seed head. FIG. 2 shows an entireflowering branch as well as leaves. FIG. 3 shows a specimen of the newvariety flowering in a container. Plants shown are 2 years of age.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

The following is a detailed description of ‘Evipo054’, as observed inits growth throughout the flowering period in Odense Denmark. Observedplants were cultivated for a period of 24 months in 2 liter containers.Certain phenotypical characteristics of the variety may vary underdifferent environmental, cultural, agronomic, seasonal, and climaticconditions. Color references are made using The Royal HorticulturalSociety (London, England) Colour Chart, 2001, except where common termsof color are used.

For a comparison, several physical characteristics of the clematisvariety ‘Poulvo’, non-patented, are compared to ‘Evipo054’in Chart 1.

CHART 1 ‘Evipo054’ ‘Poulvo’ Flower bud form Sagittate Ovate Tepal upperViolet Group 84C. Red-Purple Group 71A. surface after opening Tepalcount 6 6 - 8

-   Flower and flower bud:    -   -   Blooming habit.—Recurrent. The natural flowering period is            generally from May to September.        -   Flower bud.—Size: Normally 25 mm in length. Bud diameter is            8 mm. Bud form: Sagittate. Bud color: At ¼ opening tepals            are Purple-Violet Group N82C.        -   Peduncle.—Surface Texture: Lightly pubescent. Length:            18-35 mm. Color: Yellow-Green Group 146D with intonations of            Greyed-Purple Group 184A. Strength: Moderately strong.        -   Receptacle.—Surface Texture: Smooth. Shape: Broad funnel.            Size: 1 mm (h)×3 mm (w). Color: Yellow-Green Group 144D.        -   Flower arrangement.—Location on vine: New growth only.            Borne: Flower buds develop in clusters of 3 to 7.        -   Flower bloom.—Size: On average, flowers are 85 mm in            diameter and 15 mm in depth. Profile: Flat to somewhat            convex. Fragrance: Light. Lasting Quality: Flowers normally            remain up to 10 days on the plant.        -   Tepals.—Tepal Color: Upon opening, the upper surface is            Violet Group 84B. The lower surface is Violet Group 84A.            After opening, the upper surface is Violet Group 84C. The            lower surface is Violet Group 84D. Quantity: Normally 6            tepals. Size: About 45 mm in length by 25 mm wide. Shape:            Individual tepal shape is lanceolate. The tepal apex is            acuminate. The tepal base is typically acute. Apex            Recurvature: Recurved. Tepal Cross section: Cupped. Margins:            Entire. Persistence: Tepals drop off cleanly.        -   Reproductive organs.—Arrangement: Moderately compact.            Pollen: None observed. Anthers: Size: 4 mm in length. Color:            Greyed-Purple Group 187B. Quantity: On average, 40.            Filaments: Color: Green-Yellow Group 1B Length: 2-6 mm.            Pistils: Quantity: On average, 40. Stigmas: Superior in            location relative to the length of the filaments and the            height of the anthers. Styles: Color: Green-Yellow Group 1B.            Length: 8 mm.        -   Seed head characteristics.—Size: 20 mm in height. 40 mm in            diameter. Quantity: The average number of seeds produced per            seed head is 40. Style Appearance: Plumose, semi-erect.-   Plant:    -   -   Plant form.—Climbing.        -   Plant growth.—Moderately vigorous.        -   Size.—Seasons growth attains 100 to 150 cm in height.            Average spread is 50 cm.        -   Stems.—Color: Juvenile stems are Yellow-Green Group 144B.            Mature stems are Brown Group 200B. Internodes: On average,            10 cm between nodes. Length: Normally 50 cm from the base of            the plant to the flowering portion of the stem. Diameter:            Normally 2-3 mm. Texture: Mature stems are ribbed.        -   Plant foliage.—Leaf characteristics: Deciduous. Arrangement:            Trifoliate. Leaf Size: Compound leaves are normally 100 to            150 mm (l)×120 to 150 mm (w). Leaflets are normally 50 to 70            mm (l)×30 to 50 mm (w). Abundance: On average 2 leaves per            10 cm of stem. Leaf Color: Juvenile upper Yellow-Green Group            146B. Juvenile lower Yellow-Green Group 147C. Mature upper            Yellow-Green Group 147A. Mature lower Yellow-Green Group            147B. Stipules: Absent. Petioles: Size: Normally 35 to 45 mm            in length by 2 mm diameter. Texture: Smooth. Color:            Yellow-Green Group 146D with some intonations of Greyed-Red            Group 177A. Petioloule: Size: Normally 10 to 25 mm in length            by 2 mm diameter. Texture: Smooth. Color: Yellow-Green Group            146B with some intonations of Greyed-Red Group 177A. Leaflet            Shape: Generally elliptic. Margin: Entire. Surface: The            upper side is smooth. The lower side is smooth. Thickness:            Moderate. Glossiness: Not glossy.        -   Disease resistance.—Subject to any disease that normally            attacks the species. However the variety is more tolerant to            clematis wilt, Ascochyta clematidina, than some clematis            known to the inventors.        -   Cold hardiness.—The variety is tolerant to USDA Hardiness            Zone 6.        -   Heat tolerance.—The variety has been found to be suitable            for climate conditions found in the American Horticulture            Society heat zone 7.

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of clematis plant named‘Evipo054’, substantially as described and illustrated, due to itsabundant violet flowers with good keepability, attractive long lastingfoliage and compact growth, year round flowering under glasshouseconditions, suitability for production from softwood cuttings in pots,durable flowers and foliage which make the variety suitable fordistribution in the floral industry.